If someone drew the “categories” card during a game of “Kings” and chose to go with the popular “Obscure U.S. Presidents” theme, I must admit that Calvin Coolidge would always be on the tip of my tongue. After all, they called him “Silent Cal.”
But I recently stumbled upon a speech that Coolidge gave which will stop me from dropping his name during the next “Kings” game. I’ll use Chester Arthur instead. What a do-nothing.
Before I gush about Mr. Coolidge, indulge me in a swim to the deep end for a bit.
I’ve learned a few things in my 26 years. Among them is this: If you work really hard and are kind to people, good things happen. Period. Natural talent, IQ level and the school on your diploma are all secondary to that. And these “good things” may not come in the romanticized form you had envisioned when you were watching butterflies flutter during a sunset, but when does everything go as planned?
Our 30th President understood that and said it much more cogently than I ever could.
A search on the Web for when and where Mr. Coolidge uttered these words yields nothing definitive, but those details hardly matter.
What matters is how true these words will always be. And you can only appreciate them after you’ve felt the unsuspecting upper cuts and sneaky left hooks that life throws at you.
Yep, Coolidge would have been a good boxer. Here's why:
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; the world is full of unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
It's like the "Rocky" soundtrack for the eyes, isn't it?
But I recently stumbled upon a speech that Coolidge gave which will stop me from dropping his name during the next “Kings” game. I’ll use Chester Arthur instead. What a do-nothing.
Before I gush about Mr. Coolidge, indulge me in a swim to the deep end for a bit.
I’ve learned a few things in my 26 years. Among them is this: If you work really hard and are kind to people, good things happen. Period. Natural talent, IQ level and the school on your diploma are all secondary to that. And these “good things” may not come in the romanticized form you had envisioned when you were watching butterflies flutter during a sunset, but when does everything go as planned?
Our 30th President understood that and said it much more cogently than I ever could.
A search on the Web for when and where Mr. Coolidge uttered these words yields nothing definitive, but those details hardly matter.
What matters is how true these words will always be. And you can only appreciate them after you’ve felt the unsuspecting upper cuts and sneaky left hooks that life throws at you.
Yep, Coolidge would have been a good boxer. Here's why:
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; the world is full of unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
It's like the "Rocky" soundtrack for the eyes, isn't it?
1 comment:
Glad you're back in action, MD. See you this weekend!
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